Paul Dini was born on August 7, 1957[1] in New York City to Patricia (McClaran) and Robert Dini, an advertising executive. He is ofItalian descent through his father.[2] Dini attendedStevenson School inPebble Beach, California on an art scholarship. He attendedEmerson College in Boston, where he earned aBFA degree increative writing.[3]
During college, he began doingfreelance animation scripts forFilmation,[4] and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work forGeorge Lucas on several of his animation projects. Dini later returned to theStar Wars universe in 2007 to script several episodes ofStar Wars: The Clone Wars.[5]
Dini wrote episodes for the 1983–1985 animated TV series,He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series. He wrote an episode for theDungeons & Dragons cartoon in 1983, an episode of the Generation OneTransformers cartoon series, "The Dweller in The Depths," an episode of the 1985G.I. Joe cartoon called "Jungle Trap", and contributed to various episodes of theStar Wars: Ewoks animated series,[6] several of which included rare appearances from theEmpire.[7]
He has earned fiveEmmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was the co-author withChip Kidd ofBatman Animated, a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise.[13]
In 2002, Dini createdSheriff Ida Red, the super-poweredcowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town ofMutant, Texas.[25] He collaborated withKevin Smith onClerks: The Animated Series.[26] He and Bruce Timm collaborated on theHarley andIvy limited series for DC in 2004.[27] Dini became the writer for DC Comics'Detective Comics as of issue #821 (Sept. 2006)[28] and created a new version of theVentriloquist in #827 (March 2007).[29] WhileGrant Morrison was starting a seven-year Batman story on theBatman title composed of long, interlinking arcs, Dini wrote a number of single-issue stories over the following year as well as two crossovers with Morrison's Batman, one focusing onthe resurrection of Ra's al Ghul and another on the return ofHush.[30] After Morrison's "Batman R.I.P." storyline in 2009, creators were moved around titles and Dini started writing two new Batman titlesBatman: Streets of Gotham[31][32] andGotham City Sirens.[33][34]Streets of Gotham started and ended with story arcs about Hush whileGotham City Sirens focused on the women of Gotham; he wrote the bulk of both titles during their existence including the first and last issue of both.[35]
In 2006 he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starringZatanna andBlack Canary. In 2004, Dini was on the writing staff for the first season of theABC adventure seriesLost.[36] TheLost writers were awarded at the2006 Writers Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a Dramatic Television Series.[37] The following year he was the head writer of DC's weekly series,Countdown.[38] Dini co-wrote a draft script for the ill-fatedScience Ninja Team Gatchaman movie, which never saw the light of day and resulted in him leaving the project.[39] Dini wrote a series forTop Cow Productions, based in a character he created,Madame Mirage.[40] In July 2008, Dini started a partnership withGoAnimate to launch his Super Rica & Rashy series on the platform.[41]
Dini returned to Batman animated adaptations to write theBatman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Legends of the Dark Mite". In the same episode, he appeared in an animated form wearing Harley Quinn's costume in a comic book convention parody scene, along with Bruce Timm wearing Joker's costume next to him.[42] He would go on to write several additional episodes for the series, including "Chill of the Night!", theteaser of which contained a team-up between Batman andZatanna, one of Dini's favorite characters. Dini penned the storyline for theRocksteady Studios video gameBatman: Arkham Asylum, released on August 25, 2009.[43] He wrote three episodes ofStar Wars: The Clone Wars: "Cloak of Darkness,"[44] "Holocron Heist,"[45] and "Voyage of Temptation."[46] On February 14, 2008, the first edition of Dini's column, "200 Words with Paul Dini" was released on the iFanboy site.[47]
Dini is the main creator of the live action dramaTower PrepCartoon Network series.[48] On August 4, 2010, it was confirmed that Dini will be involved in Marvel Comics' upcoming animated seriesUltimate Spider-Man, which aired on Disney XD in 2012.[49] He worked onHulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., an animated series centered around theHulk and his supporting cast.[50] Dini worked with Rocksteady studios once again to createBatman: Arkham City, which was a sequel toBatman: Arkham Asylum.[51] He wrote a five-issuecomic series set in the game continuity.[52] A building in Arkham City is named Dini Towers in tribute.[53] He did not write the storyline of the third Rocksteady game in the series,Batman: Arkham Knight, due to the company not wanting to hire freelance writers for future games.[54]
Paul Dini and his wife, magicianMisty Lee, created an online interview feature called "Monkey Talk" onKevin Smith's website,Quick Stop Entertainment.com.[61] Dini and Misty Lee appeared onKen Reid'sTV Guidance Counselor podcast on April 6, 2016.[62]
In September 2020,DC Comics announced that Dini would be among the creators of a revivedBatman: Black and White anthology series to debut on December 8, 2020.[63] Dini wrote the prequel toScoob!,Scoob! Holiday Haunt, set to release throughHBO Max.[64] It was canceled in August 2022 byWarner Bros. Discovery.[65]
Dini and his wifeMisty Lee,[66] a magician and voiceover actress, live in Los Angeles.[67] Their twoBoston terriers, Mugsy and Deuce, were featured in "Anger Management", a 2012 episode ofThe Dog Whisperer, in which they soughtCesar Millan's help with their dogs' behavioral problems. Around this time, Dini began an extensive weight loss and exercise regimen which combined dog obedience training.[68][69]
He received theWriter's Guild Animation Writing award in 1999,[75] and a second WGA award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a Dramatic Television Series in 2006 as a member of the writing team forLost.[37]
^Manning, Matthew K. (2010). "1990s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.).DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 265.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.Writer Paul Dini and artist Bruce Timm partnered for a special set in the animated world of the Dark Knight. Revealing the origin of the Joker's lover, popular made-for-TV character Harley Quinn, the storytelling duo crafted a sweetly disturbing award-winning tale.
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 289: "Harley Quinn finally made her way into the DC Universe in her own one-shot prestige-format special by writer Paul Dini alongside artist Yvel Guichet."
^Smith, Zack (December 2012). "Paul Dini & Alex Ross Discuss a Treasured Format".Back Issue! (61). Raleigh, North Carolina:TwoMorrows Publishing:69–77.From 1998 to 2003, [Paul Dini and Alex Ross] produced a series of fully painted oversized books featuring DC's biggest heroes.
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 286: "Alex Ross teamed up with writer Paul Dini...to tell a powerful story of the Man of Steel. In this beautiful sixty-four-page oversized one-shot...Superman fought a battle even he couldn't truly win: the war on poverty and hunger."
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 289: "The second in the oversized prestige-format tabloid collaborations between writer Paul Dini and painter Alex Ross,Batman: War on Crime was just as successful as its predecessor, and just as beautiful."
^Manning, Matthew K. (2014). "2000s". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.).Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 274.ISBN978-1465424563.Writer Paul Dini and artist Bruce Timm crafted this tale set in the DC Animated Universe and starring the odd couple of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.
^Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 290: "Paul Dini came aboardDetective Comics as its new ongoing writer as of this issue."
^Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 293: "Paul Dini and artist Don Kramer introduced a new Ventriloquist in this self-contained issue."
^Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 300:Detective Comics #846 "This issue began writer Paul Dini and artist Dustin Nguyen's 'Heart of Hush' story."
^Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 305: "Paul Dini and artist Dustin Nguyen introduced this ongoing series."
^Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 306: "The villainous version of the Birds of Prey premiered in this new ongoing 'Batman: Reborn' series by writer Paul Dini and artist Guillem March."
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